Mario Batkovic is one of the best accordion virtuosos far and wide. He combines traditional Balkan songs with contemporary sounds, his repertoire ranges from Piazzolla, through Bach to Waits. Batkovic, who grew up in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and Switzerland, has never really been able to leave the Balkans behind him and never felt quite at home in Switzerland. He is fluent in neither Croatian nor German, but music is where he feels at ease and the accordion definitely speaks his language. Instead of choosing to live in one world, he has made it his mission to mediate between cultures, in both human and musical terms. As a classically trained musician he has no fear of popular culture. On stage, Batkovic is a charismatic entertainer who encompasses many different styles. Musically speaking, he is energised by his own compositions, which he improvises according to the acoustics of the venue. He describes them as simple and minimalistic, melancholic and spiritual. They pervade space and tell stories of their own. These are the moments when Batkovic appears to be at his most intimate and vulnerable, while still managing to coax and caress powerful and hefty sounds from his accordion.
CHF 25.-/15.-
